Demon Intrigue
by Madness
Summary: With Tasukete in the picture, Naraku seems to develop some sort of emotion towards her. Though his Onigumo side loves Kikyo and hates Tasukete, his demon side hates Kikyo and Loves Tasukete...well, not really "loves"...CHAPTER 5 UP!!
1. Obsession

Demon Intrigue

Written by: Madness

~~

A/N: I know, I KNOW I went a little further in than I was supposed to, considering I started out writing on how Tasukete was introduced (story called "Watashi wa Hiru Tasukete Konami!") and then all of a sudden I plunged into somewhere in the middle of the series. Well, I wrote this story long before I wrote "Watashi wa Hiru Tasukete Konami!", and I HOPE I get good reviews. Oh, and I would also like some suggestions! ^_~

~~

Naraku cast his eye upon the orange-haired youkai, Tasukete. Though his human part, Onigumo, was deeply in love with the miko priestess Kikyo, Naraku could not help but feel the same emotion towards the stubborn demon. Quietly he watched her from his safest place, savoring every moment she lived on. Such feelings, he told himself, are that of weak humans - and though he desperately desired to rid himself of these emotions, it would be difficult. Perhaps the only way would be to kill both Kikyo, Onigumo's love, and Tasukete, his own love. He knew he could easily do away with Kikyo, since now his being was formed by that of many youkai, which overpowered Onigumo's soul -- but what about Tasukete? Even the demons within himself found themselves drawn to her existance.

                What to do, what to do...

                Naraku paused. The woman he was watching had paused as well, as though she had sensed someone's presence. But even if she knew he was watching her, it would do her no good. She would never catch him unless he wanted to be caught. And that would be very soon.

                Tasukete felt something staring at her. Or maybe she was just being paranoid, but...she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling.

                "What is it...." she thought aloud, and continued to walk. Maybe just another youkai. She sighed and pulled out her sword, finally realizing that she was being followed by an unwanted visitor.

                "Is that you...Naraku?"

                Upon hearing a soft laugh from behind, her suspicions were confirmed and she spun around to see Naraku no farther than 10 feet in front of her.

                "Why are you following me?" Tasukete hissed through clenched teeth. Ever since that terrible experience....the night when he had captured her, tortured her friends with fearful visions - and that was not the worst of it all. That night, she knew he wanted to take advantage of her inner power. She feared her inner power, knowing that if it were to take full control of her body, she would probably not be able to control herself, since she was not very experienced. Still, Naraku wanted that power for himself...and soon, she realized, he was rapidly growing attracted to her.

                "I just wanted to see you again." he told her, the dark tone evident in his voice.

                "Hmph. One-sided, I guess." she responded bluntly, gripping her sword even more tightly. "I told you that if you keep watching me like this, I'll KILL you!"

                Naraku enjoyed talking to Tasukete like this; he knew she was a bit tense everytime he confronted her. What he enjoyed the most was seeing her fume in complete anger and threaten to kill him for just being in her presence...it pleased him greatly knowing that he could arouse such deep emotion in the usually cheery female with just his appearance or his words.

                He *loved* it.

                "Why shouldn't I follow you like this? Aren't you a 'professional spy-youkai'?"

                "I AM. But that means that **I** follow someone suspicious and monitor their activities, not YOU."

                "Then why don't you follow me?" he smirked at seeing her clench her fist.

                "CUZ I don't have a reason to, and besides!"

                "What?"

                "You're too afraid to face Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru by yourself, since you always put out decoys and whatnot...and I can't follow you if you don't travel around like Sesshoumaru."

                'Sesshoumaru....' Naraku frowned at his name. He knew very well that Tasukete had feelings for Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older brother, the lord of the western lands. Naraku hated him just as much as he hated Inuyasha, since they both took the ones he loved - Inuyasha with Kikyo, Sesshoumaru with Tasukete. Though he was successful in breaking up the bond between Inuyasha and Kikyo 50 years ago, Tasukete would be less convincing in switching from love to hatred for Sesshoumaru as Kikyo did for Inuyasha.

                "Sesshoumaru....then you must love him very much?" Naraku knew very well that Tasukete was stubborn about it.

                She blushed furiously upon hearing the words 'Sesshoumaru' and 'love' in the same sentence. "Feh!" she gripped her sword and dove towards Naraku, raising her sword above her head. "Shi ne, kisama!"

                The sword nearly pierced Naraku's clothing, but he quickly vanished from her sight. She tightened her claws around the sword and looked around furiously. 

                "Chikuso....where are you, Naraku?" she growled, her eyes surveying her surroundings carefully. "Chikuso! Where!?"

                Naraku knew it was best to keep out of sight, but he just had to see her face to face like that. It was beautiful, those bright golden eyes that stared back at him filled his soul with excited content. But for now, he would just watch her.

                "Or...maybe I should speak to her a bit more...of course, when she's a bit more calm..." he grinned at this.

                Swiftly, he raised his hand and put a spell on the branches of a youkai tree.

                Tasukete put her sword away, thinking Naraku had left her. "This is getting crazy...maybe I should just hurry up and find Sesshoumaru before Naraku can...." her thought was cut short once the roots of a nearby tree intertwined with her legs and pulled her down so that she fell on her back. 

                "Naraku, I knew it!!" she yelped, reaching for her sword, but by then she realized the tree's branches had grabbed her arms as well, leaving her helpless. "What the hell...*is* this..!"

                The tree, of course, didn't stop engulfing her. It slowly surrounded her form and lifted her from the ground, which then suspended her in midair. Soon, the tree stopped moving, leaving her frozen in midair, unable to struggle or barely even move an inch. She hissed at the branches. "Ridiculous conniving bastard...have you no DECENCY!?"

                "The only way, of course, to calm you down." Naraku appeared in front of her casually, crossing his arms to show that he had no intention of fighting her personally. "Now, now...are you willing to come with me and..."

                "I already *repeatedly* refused your ever-so-kind offer for that so-called 'infinite' and 'ultimate' power. I already repeatedly refused to go with you at all. Why the hell can't you accept it?" she shook her head, almost pitying him. "Oh Naraku...why can't you accept life as is?"

                "Shut up." he growled at her. Sometimes he wished he didn't like her at all, or maybe a part of him didn't. Besides, his Onigumo side loved Kikyo entirely, but Tasukete hates Kikyo with every fiber of her being...so of course Onigumo would hate Tasukete for that. But...Naraku's demon side...the side that dominated his form....loved Tasukete and hated Kikyo. It seemed like an everlasting dispute. "Perhaps I'm not asking you politely anymore."

                "Oh? Fine! But I'll still refuse you."

                "Very well." he glanced at the tree, which brought Tasukete a little closer to the ground, a little closer to Naraku. "Then I hope you don't mind that I just borrow you for a while..."

                "Aw, hell no. No is no, unless you come from a place where everything is totally opposite - therefore, I should not say anything else to you. You hanyou."

                Naraku glared at her evenly for an uncomfortable amount of time. 'This woman...I can't help but hate her and love her this much. I can't kill her as easily as I would be able to kill Kikyo....but she could pose as a weakness of mine. I can't eliminate her...but I know someone who *can*...' he smirked at Tasukete, who merely blinked in confusion.

                "Nani...?" she asked uncertainly, and Naraku placed his hand on her forehead.

                "Shh." his eyes glowed an eerie red shade as the white miasma thickened around their form. Tasukete yelped as the tree youkai's branches tightening around her with a circulation-cutting grip, and Naraku almost laughed at her pain.

                Within moments, the branches completely covered her body from the neck down, almost as if they were absorbing her very being. To Tasukete, the world seemed to spin.

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A/N: Just one thing – suggestions please!!!


	2. Within the Mind

Within the Mind  
written by: Madness  
~~  
A/N: I like the first chapter. I just hope I don't screw it up, that's all.  
~~  
Tasukete opened her eyes, but she did so hesitantly. In a way, she didn't want to wake up and see whatever was before her - she knew Naraku would do something to her, so it was just better if she didn't wake up. She wouldn't have to endure any torture. But then again, she also felt that she just *had* to get up, so she could escape from the twisted plans Naraku had in store for her and get even, eventually.  
'I guess it would be hard to kill him if I _died_,' she mused, and shifted her thoughts to her surroundings. The thick fog faded slightly, but she still felt Naraku's ominous presence. In addition to that, she realized that she was no longer trapped by the branches of the youkai tree, no longer suspended in the air. Instead, she was sitting on the moist grass while leaning against the tree; in fact, nothing was preventing her from moving freely.  
Without further thought, Tasukete tried to stand, but her legs felt extremely weak. Within seconds she fell forward and, as a reflex, shut her eyes abruptly. But she didn't fall - not completely, anyway. Someone suddenly appeared in front of her, as if awaiting the moment to catch her when she *did* fall.   
Tasukete fell into the person's arms but kept her eyes shut. She couldn't perceive who the person was with her sense of smell -- the fog that was still present blocked out the scent somehow. Still, she recognized the texture of the clothing the person wore; the material felt soothing against Tasukete's touch...silky, smooth, and rather comfortable.  
"Se...Sesshoumaru...?"  
He didn't answer but she was convinced it was him. She opened her eyes and her suspicions were proved instantly.  
'Sesshoumaru-sama!" she exclaimed, not able to hold back the excitement in her tone. "How...?"  
"You ran into Naraku again." he said, his expression remaining as cold and emotionless as usual. There were times where Tasukete wished that he would smile for her, even for a second, or even _shorter_ than that, but...  
She sighed inwardly. 'Of course he wouldn't. What should I expect? Atleast he's here, right? So be thankful, baka!' she scolded herself. She really should stop hoping for the best of Sesshoumaru -- atleast he was there. That's all that _really_ mattered at the moment anyway.  
"Yeah, I did." she replied gloomily.  
Sesshoumaru stood silent for a moment, then asked, "What did he do to you?"  
Tasukete blinked. 'That's a first, he actually sounds like he *kinda* cares..'. "He was following me. He got me trapped, too, but...I don't remember what happened after that...." she rubbed the side of her head with one hand. "The last thing I remember was Naraku putting his hand on my forehead, and...I got dizzy...but that's all I know." Finally she got the strength to stand on her own.  
Sesshoumaru didn't say anything. His eyes surveyed the surroundings carefully and he could sense nothing by scent. "If Naraku had his hands on you, I doubt he'd let you go that easily."  
"That's what _I_ thought!" she nodded in agreement. "But he's gone. I mean, I still feel that he's here...but..."  
"Nani?"  
"Oh...er...I don't know anymore."  
Sesshoumaru looked at her oddly before heading off by himself again.  
Tasukete wanted to run after him, to somehow make him realize that she cared for him deeply. But she knew better. She knew that he wouldn't be so comforting - so why bother? Why bother if he didn't love her all the same? 'I wish I could read his mind, read his soul...I just can't figure that youkai out.' she thought and saddened.  
Turning swiftly, she headed in the opposite direction. She wanted to follow Sesshoumaru, but there was no need. She was almost getting to Inuyasha anyway. "I'm sure _Inuyasha_ would try to help me!" she wanted to scream back at Sesshoumaru. Then again, she wondered why the hell she was so angry."This is just so stupid. I read into things way too easily! Argh, I'm such a..."  
"Such a worrier, aren't you, Tasukete?"  
Tasukete spun around to see Kagura standing a few feet away from her - her arms at her side casually and her face as calm as anything.  
"Kagura!"  
"Of course," Kagura sighed and took a step forward, "I've come to bring you a message from Naraku."  
"Shimatta...why didn't he just tell me that short while ago?"  
"Well, you weren't awake when he wanted to tell you that..."  
"I don't want to hear it, Kagura." Tasukete flipped her orange hair back and began to walk by her. Kagura grabbed her shoulder before she could go.  
"I think you should." she warned the youkai nonchallantly.  
Tasukete let out an exhasperated sigh. "Fine. What is it?"  
Kagura stared at her for a moment before telling her Naraku's message. "Naraku wants you to know that you can't hide from him anymore."  
"How nice." Tasukete quipped. "And you might as well tell him that that's old news, considering he watches me all the time. Kagura, how the hell is that _*news*_?" she rolled her eyes and pushed Kagura's hand off her shoulder.  
Tasukete continued to walk away from her, but she still felt Kagura's eyes on her; finally realizing what it all meant, she stopped in her tracks.  
"There's more.....isn't there, Kagura?"  
Kagura sighed loudly. "You remember what he did to you before you woke up alone?"  
Tasukete kept her back to Kagura. "I'm listening."  
"Naraku put his hand on your forehead. It gave him access to your thoughts."  
Tasukete's eyes widened in both confusion and shock. "You don't mean...!"  
Thus another voice entered her mind. ["Tasukete."] She grasped her head and tried to shake out that awful voice. "Stop it!"  
["Tasukete. I told you...you can't hide from me anymore."]  
"Kagura, what did that bastard do to me!?" she screamed as she turned to see Kagura, not realizing she had already left. "Kagura!!"  
["You know what I did to you, _don't you_..."]  
"Get out of my head!!" she squeezed her eyes shut and dropped to her knees, hoping that it was all just a bad dream. 'This is a nightmare, he is NOT hearing my thoughts...'  
She heard the voice laugh, his dark tone making her shiver in fear. ["I _can_ hear your thoughts. Not only that, but...I can look into your soul...your soul that very well belongs to me now."]  
"And why is that!?" she asked frantically. "It doesn't mean you own me at all! I could just ignore you...yeah! I'll ignore you until you get tired of trying to get my attention!" It was much to real to be a dream, but of course, the nightmare was just beginning. The question was...why did he want to read her thoughts, and her *soul*, even?  
["Tasukete. From now on, you should worry about where your mind will lead you. Sometimes you'll feel that you won't be able to control your own actions..."]  
She knew what that meant. She knew what it meant without a doubt - he could control her at will, prying into her mind without mercy. Slowly, she asked through clenched teeth, "How can I drive you out of my mind?"  
["I'm surprised you'd ask me that. Well....the only way you can be rid of me is for you to kill Sesshoumaru...or _he_ has to kill _you_.]

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A/N: Well, not bad so far, eh? Thanks to Enchantress Tsurai and MoonKnight Maiden, the people who wrote reviews for me (made me feel special, it did)! ^__^  So...yeah, I'll be writing more soon.


	3. Without the Mind

Without the Mind

written by: Madness

~~~

A/N: My bestfriend just hates cliffhangers....I'm surprised I'm not dead yet...x_x

And by the way, in this chapter, Tasukete's thoughts are the ones being placed in [..] this time.

~~~

       Satisfied, Naraku had left her alone after telling her a few things - such as it would be meaningless for Tasukete to kill him [Naraku], and that someone was definitely going to die as a result of her "curse".

       Things seemed to be going well in his case; it really didn't matter to him who would die - Sesshoumaru or Tasukete. Though he much rather prefer Sesshoumaru to be killed, it would be much more difficult to get Tasukete at any rate than if she died. Because...if Tasukete were to be killed...just as Kikyo was killed and resurrected, Naraku would also bring Tasukete back - only she would be completely under his control.

       He smiled inwardly. Tasukete must be going crazy right now...running out of ideas on how to get out of this predicament. '...either way, someone _is_ going to die,' he insisted, his eyes turning that eerie red color in preparation to invade her thoughts again.

       Naraku found and read her thoughts easily.

       ["That bastard, Naraku! Why can't he just leave me the hell alone!?"]

       He smirked at her thoughts. She was panicking and running as quickly as she could to be by herself. 'She doesn't want to risk running into anyone...not with her personal feelings being read like a book.' He guessed it _would_ be a little embarrassing if he find out anything private in her soul, but he didn't care - he looked into her heart already. 'In love with Sesshoumaru...best friend of Inuyasha...is a dragon youkai with a lot of unused inner power, which she fears to let out...unknown parents....hatred for Kikyo....'

       What Naraku found most interesting was knowing that Tasukete loved Sesshoumaru, but to her, it was one-sided. Also knowing that she hated Kikyo deeply would be a useful bit of information.

       ["This can't be happening to me..."]

       Naraku kept listening - you never know what you might find out when someone decides to blurt something important out in a panic.

       ["I can't kill Sesshoumaru, Naraku! You _know_ I can't."]

       He laughed. Of course she knew he was listening to her; she wasn't stupid. "Why can't you kill him?"

       ["You know I care about him. And even if I didn't, I wouldn't want to kill anyone for my own sake. _And_ even if I _tried_ to kill Sesshoumaru, I wouldn't be able to...he's much stronger than I am."]

       "So what are you saying...?" Naraku wanted to know. If Tasukete thought about killing herself...

       ["I'm not."]

       "Not what?"

       ["I'm _not_ going to kill myself. There's gotta be another way. Isn't there, Naraku?!"]

       She was getting angry now. Oh well. "I told you how already. You die or Sesshoumaru dies."

       ["But why are you dragging Sesshoumaru-sama into this!?? I would understand if you wanted _Inuyasha_ dead, but Sesshoumaru-sama isn't..."]

       "I eliminate threats." Soon Naraku felt Tasukete becoming confused, but she stayed quiet. "And I have plans Sesshoumaru-_sama_. You shouldn't worry about me killing him."

       ["You couldn't if you tried."]

       "I'm not attempting to do so. But Tasukete, you should not be so eager to say what I can or cannot do. I'm much more powerful than any half-demon...and I may as well add, I won't be a hanyou for long."

       ["But Sesshoumaru-sama told me that a hanyou can never become a full-youkai, even if their blood smells like one...."]

       "...if they are *born* a hanyou, they cannot change." Naraku knew Tasukete had to agree. He breathed heavily and decided to cut the conversation short; he had plans to work out. "I'll leave you alone with your thoughts. I'll come back for you later...maybe by then you will have decided who shall be the one to die."

       ["Wait."]

       She instantly gained Naraku's attention. She never would have asked him to wait so she could talk to _him_ more.

       "Yes?" he asked, his tone appearing with uninterested.

       ["....can't I...um...."]

       Naraku smiled. Her thoughts were so easy to see, and her particular question was rather *very* interesting.... "Do you really want to...?"

       ["I don't....know....but it wouldn't break my curse anyway, so forget it..."]

       "I could make an exception," he said softly. He could hear Tasukete's heart racing, her mind overflowing with various decisions on the matter. The female youkai was in a turmoil, but Naraku never said he wouldn't offer to make things a little easier for her.

       Of course he'd lie to her; this was obvious and without a doubt. Anything that would force her to eliminate an even *greater* obstacle would be of help...for _him_, of course. But she was too scared to realize his feign.

       ["I want to...but I promised Inuyasha I wouldn't."]

       Naraku figured that it wouldn't be much of a problem. "Why is that stopping you? It's either that....or Sesshoumaru is to be killed, or you."

       She didn't want Sesshoumaru to die. And she didn't want to die without a fight, either - and killing Naraku wouldn't....

       Wait...

       ["No, Naraku....if I kill *you*, then obviously you would not be able to read my thoughts…"]

       Naraku sighed. "Would I _really_ be out of your mind by then? I'll always read your thoughts, even in hell."

       ["….I wouldn't be able to kill you by myself anyway…."]

       He was growing impatient by the minute. 'She's stalling…hoping I'd forget her sudden thought to kill…'

       ["Naraku."]

       "Have you decided yet?"

       ["You know I have. Can you just _get the hell out of my head now_? You said you'll get back to me, right…?!"]

       She was panicking again. But Naraku couldn't care less – his plans were running smoothly…perhaps even better than he would have thought. "I **will** be back for you." He replied darkly, and decided to leave Tasukete alone and see how things would turn out.

       Once Naraku stopped looking into her mind, Tasukete began to run towards her destination before he could return. She knew he wasn't listening to her now; she could feel it. 'Naraku, I don't know _why_ you're allowing me to…'

       She stopped herself from finishing the thought. Even though he told her that he'd leave her alone for now, and even though she didn't *feel* his presence…she didn't want to take any chances. She continued to run to the temple where Kikyo resided.

       'demo….someone _is_ going to die tonight….and I've decided who it's going to be.'

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A/N: Who's going to die…? Who do **you** think? ^_^ Next chapter coming soon – reveals a whole bunch of secrets.


	4. The Chosen

The Chosen  
written by: Madness  
~~  
A/N: A whole lotta stuff is now revealed. It gets interesting. And just a reminder, Tasukete's full name is Hiru Tasukete Konami, just in case.  
~~  
Tasukete had a good idea on who to kill. And she couldn't care less about who it was.  
'I never liked Kikyo anyway....what am I talking about!? I HATE Kikyo!' Tasukete knew it had to be either Kikyo, Sesshoumaru, and herself. And she couldn't allow herself to kill Sesshoumaru.  
'But....I promised Inuyasha....' Tasukete shoved her promise to the back of her mind. 'No. And it's not even the real Kikyo anyway! THIS Kikyo wants to take Inuyasha to hell with her! What kinda of psychopathic bitch....!!' Anger welled up inside of her and she desperately rushed to Kikyo's temple.  
'I'll actually be doing Inuyasha-kun a favor!' she insisted, but her thoughts ceased as she reached her destination.  
"Kikyo...!" she yelled, not wanting to waste another minute to think about it. She wanted to kill Kikyo, and it would be doing everyone a *favor*. "Kikyo, you better show yourself right now!"  
Kikyo didn't waste any time, either. She came out of the temple, as calm as she was cold, with her bow and arrow in hand. "I know what you're here for, Hiru."  
"How did you know? Naraku?" Tasukete placed a hand on her sword, keeping her eyes focused on both Kikyo and her weaponry.  
"Of course." Kikyo readied her bow but Tasukete released her sword, leaving it in its sheath.  
"You know what, Kikyo? You may not realize it, but..."  
"Enough speaking!" Kikyo snapped and shot her arrow directly at Tasukete's heart. Tasukete sighed as she swiftly moved out of the arrow's path and caught it with her left hand. The two women remained silent for a moment before the youkai decided to continue.  
"As I was saying, *_before I was rudely interrupted*_, you don't seem to realize that there is no point in you remaining in this world."  
"What are you saying?" Kikyo hissed, taking out an arrow for yet another attack.  
Tasukete sighed again, exhasperated. "That's not going to work, either," she motioned towards her bow and arrow, "And what I mean is that you're not even supposed to be on this plane. You're not human anymore. You don't even qualify as a youkai, or even a hanyou. You're just....dust. A aimless zombie. A wandering form of dirt with no useful purpose. The Shikon no Tama isn't even your priority to protect anymore -- you want to bring Inuyasha to hell with you?! How inane! I don't see why you deserve to live...no, not live...._wander_ on!"  
Kikyo remained quiet as she readied her bow and arrow again.  
"Kikyo." Tasukete calmed down a little bit, still making sure she did not let her guard down. 'That miko was able to seal Inuyasha...she'd probably find a way to seal me too.' "You must understand the damage you've been causing by just being here...and I don't mean _here _literally...I mean, just in this world. I think it's best...to send your soul, full of envy, to rest."  
"What a ridiculous speech." Kikyo replied calmly, aiming her arrow at Tasukete again. "Everything living on this plane has a reason to be living!"  
"That's true, but you're **not** living...are you...?" Tasukete shrugged; this time she reached and unsheathed her sword. "So...this is for Inuyasha....and Sesshoumaru."  
Kikyo lowered her bow slightly. "You don't seem to understand Naraku's deal, do you?"  
"Nani?" Tasukete narrowed her eyes at the miko. "Naraku told you about...everything?"  
"Of course. He told me that you would come to kill me in return for your sanity."  
"Sanity? I'm not insane _yet_. And, I'm sorry to say, but it _is_ either you, me, or Sesshoumaru."  
Kikyo laughed, the certain laugh that makes you wonder if she was ever a good miko in her human life. "I knew you'd be the type to trust Naraku too much if you or your friends' lives depend on it! Don't you realize, stupid girl...that the arrangement was only for you and Sesshoumaru's deaths?"  
"Demo...Naraku told me that you're an exception....!"  
"How could he make an exception so late in the curse? If it was originally intended for the deaths on either you or Sesshoumaru...it remains that way."  
Tasukete's eyes darkened. 'She's trying to trick me into not killing her...'  
Kikyo put her bow and arrows away. "So you see there's no point in killing me now..."  
Tasukete lifted her sword and threw it at Kikyo with extreme accuracy, causing the former miko to be pinned to the tree behind her, her feet unable to touch the ground - the sword's sharp blade holding her up by the collar. The youkai was a little annoyed that her sword had not directly pierced the Miko herself, but pinning her to the tree was enough. It had caused her to drop her bow and arrows, leaving her helpless.  
The dragon youkai walked up to Kikyo almost hesitantly. She still remembered her promise with Inuyasha, but at the moment she wanted the promise to be as far in the back of her mind as possible. Still...Inuyasha was her best friend. Would she be able to face him after she finished Kikyo off? How would he handle it...? She hated to see Inuyasha in pain....but Kikyo wasn't the same person she was before! And she was going to kill Inuyasha!  
And she liked Kagome a whole lot better for Inuyasha, anyway...  
Kikyo looked at Tasukete with an expressionless countenance. Maybe she was afraid...but she sure didn't look it...it was as if she were *daring* Tasukete to kill her.  
Tasukete readied her claw for the finishing blow. 'I don't want to be cruel...I just want to get this over with. Maybe if I didn't feel this much guilt, I would have killed her long ago! I hate her, and I'm sure she hates me back! So...what's stopping me??'  
["Kill her."]  
Tasukete's eyes widened, but her claw remained in the air, motionless - ready to strike at Kikyo in any time. But in that moment, her focus shifted to the voice that entered her mind. 'Naraku!'  
["Did you not want to kill her in the first place? As you said, if you kill her now, you'll be saving the lives of three people - Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and yourself. Kill her. Quickly."]  
Tasukete almost went for it, but stopped herself. "Naraku, I still have this promise with Inuyasha..."  
["You promised him you wouldn't kill her. Why is that stopping you, I ask?"]  
Tasukete shut her eyes tightly. 'I know, but.....no, I shouldn't think about this! I'll kill Kikyo and I won't hurt Sesshoumaru or myself AND I'll be doing everyone a favor, and....'  
'But...I'd also be doing Naraku a favor.' Somehow, this was mostly for his benefit, not hers. 'And....what if Kikyo is _right_....?'  
Tasukete kept that thought in mind, but pulled back her hand for the final blow. "I'm not going to think about this. And this time...it will be to Naraku's disadvantage!"  
  
With that being said, Tasukete pushed herself away from Kikyo, unhinging the sword from the miko's garments, and swiftly sliced herself in the chest.  
  
Kikyo gaped in astonishment at what just occured in front of her very own eyes. "Tasukete...? You could have...."  
Tasukete dropped to her knees, grabbing the trunk of a tree to remain upright and conscious. "Just shut the hell up, bitch...and give a message to Sesshoumaru for me...."  
With the message being given to her, Kikyo left without delay to find the greater youkai.  
  
Tasukete clenched the trunk of the tree fiercely, trying her best to maintain consciousness, and praying that she didn't die before Sesshoumaru arrived. "Naraku...if you hear me now...you should know by now that I couldn't kill her."  
Naraku remained silent for some time before responding. ["You had the perfect chance, Tasukete. A wonderful opportunity."]  
"For _you_ maybe," she coughed, "But as much as I hate Kikyo...and as much as I wanted to kill her...I somehow feel as though it's not my job to kill her. It's Inuyasha's job. I'm leaving it to **him**....and besides....Naraku...It would have worked out better for _you_...and I can't have that."  
Naraku only smirked. ["You'll see."]  
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A/N: It'll just get better, hopefully! And, wanna know what Tasukete looks like? SEE THE PICTURE I DREW OF TASUKETE AT THIS LINK. It took me forever!! Like it?: **http://hometown.aol.com/all4madlin/tasukete.html**


	5. Promising Demise

Promising Demise  
written by: Madness  
~~  
A/N: Nothing to say, really...  
~~  
Kikyo found Sesshoumaru immediately. She didn't know _why_ she was helping Tasukete at all, but she figured it was a way of repaying Tasukete for not killing her then. There was always a form of hatred between the two women - Tasukete didn't like Kikyo for "stealing" her bestfriend away....and Kikyo certainly couldn't like someone who hated _her_...  
But at this moment, she was talking to Sesshoumaru, giving him the message Tasukete wanted him to hear.  
"Tasukete's dying." Kikyo told him without emotion. Inwardly, she was glad Tasukete's was dying...but the thing was, she did it to herself. In the back of the miko's mind, she felt a small tinge of guilt. But she didn't care.  
Sesshoumaru, as always, didn't show much emotion either. Still, he wanted to know _why_. "What happened to her?"  
"I'm not sure. But she wanted me to tell you that she was dying, and that she wanted to see you before then. You can smell her blood, can't you?"  
His eyes shifted towards the direction of Tasukete's scent. "Who did it?"  
Kikyo turned around and started to head in another direction, but she called back to Sesshoumaru. "Why don't you ask her? In the mean time, I'll find another temple." And with that, she left, not a care in the world. Her guilty feeling seemed to vanish in a second, but then of course, she was no human being anymore.  
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed towards Tasukete's scent. "...I smell that bastard Naraku with her..."  
  
Naraku lifted Tasukete by the collar of her shirt and held her up to look at her eyes. They were weary, defeated.....but proud. Why were they looking back at him as though _he_ was the one who was dying? Naraku smirked. 'She just doesn't understand what's going to become of her, that's all.'  
"No Naraku...I'm afraid *you* don't understand." Tasukete managed to mutter, then she smiled at him. Her smile made him question her awareness of the situation they were in.  
"You're mocking me." he said simply, "I wouldn't advise that."  
"Why not?" she coughed, still maintaining that mocking smile. "Did you think that I would actually do_ you_ a favor and kill either Sesshoumaru or Kikyo?"  
"**You** brought up Kikyo, remember?"  
"...yeah...but...I couldn't kill Sesshoumaru...I care about him..."  
"And I couldn't care less." Naraku glanced at her wound and smirked. "But by doing this to yourself, you've only helped me out more than you had intended."  
"What the hell do you mean!?" she spat, slowly feeling her body go limp.  
"It'll make sense to you later...after I've brought you back to this plane. Well....you may not be the same as you were, but you'll belong to me by then."  
Tasukete wanted so badly to raise her hand and strike at him, to hurt him in return for hurting everyone else, including herself. She wanted him to feel so much pain.... 'He planned everything out almost perfectly...I didn't even know this....'  
Naraku placed her in his arms almost with care. Why he was in such an awkward state, he didn't know. Somehow it intrigued him, making him think if it was the female youkai's presence bringing him such elation. After several moment, his wistful look formed into that of a glare, and he looked up from Tasukete's form.  
'Sesshoumaru is coming so soon...?' Naraku shook his head. If Sesshoumaru were to show up so suddenly, which he did often, it would be a problem for him. Now that Tasukete was dying slowly in his arms, he wanted to take her back to his 'castle' so that a barrier would not let anyone disturb him from reawakening her.  
But...Sesshoumaru was moving rather quickly...  
Naraku looked back down at the youkai, but she was no longer awake in his arms. 'You'll belong to me, and I'll control you...' he slowly leaned forward and was about to press his lips against hers, but he stopped himself from doing so. Quickly he straightened up and cursed himself from almost lowering himself to such a human action. Such an action would only declare a greater weakness of his - his desire for not only Tasukete's power, but the female demon herself. He *could* have her if he wanted, but it was safer for him to not give her any choice in the matter.  
He let out a soft sigh....and then he realized he wasn't the only one he could hear breathing softly....  
Naraku listened even closer. He could *swear* that the breathing belonged to....  
"..._Kuso...It's not a fatal wound....!_"   
"Kisama."  
It was too late....he tightened his grip on Tasukete before turning around to see Sesshoumaru standing behind him. Naraku narrowed his eyes and allowed himself to release Tasukete before Sesshoumaru _made_ him.  
"Why...Sesshoumaru_-sama.._!" Naraku took a few steps away from him. Sesshoumaru, however, took the same amount of steps _toward _him.  
"Your actions are readible, Naraku. And that miko told me of the curse you put on Tasukete." Sesshoumaru looked down at Tasukete. "You knew I wouldn't kill Tasukete, and I'm quite sure she wouldn't do the same for this Sesshoumaru....you knew she wouldn't have a choice but to have herself killed, then."  
"That may be the case, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
"I haven't finished. Wasn't the curse this - Tasukete kills this Sesshoumaru, or vice versa, to release her curse."  
"That is correct...." Naraku glared at him, not knowing where the greater youkai was going with this.  
Sesshoumaru stood unfazed. "...it would not be the same if she were to kill herself, then. The curse would remain once you have resurrected her. And you would control her even then."  
"Very intelligent you are, Sesshoumaru-sama. Still, what are you to do about it? She is lying at your feet dead as of now...she killed herself. The curse remains, and you just explained why."  
"She is not dead." Sesshoumaru responded slowly. After a period of silence, he quietly drew out his sword. "There must always be way out....and this Sesshoumaru knows it." And with that, he focused his attention on Tasukete's sleeping form, raised his sword, and swiftly slit her throat - killing the unconscious woman instantly. "If she had killed herself, the curse would remain when you resurrected her. But not anymore."  
Naraku couldn't hold back his smirk. "Either way, I still win...Sesshoumaru-_sama_."  
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A/N: Again, nothing much to say, just that the reason Sesshoumaru says, "This Sesshoumaru" it's kinda like he's saying, "I, Sesshoumaru", meaning he thinks highly of himself. I think Naraku does the same too, but I don't think it's in my story.....another chapter coming soon! Naraku has a plan for _everything_, I tell you…


End file.
